Info about Solar Ash:

Official game description:
From the creators of the award-winning Hyper Light Drifter comes the high-speed and gravity-bending world of Solar Ash.  
Set amidst a surreal dreamscape filled with long-abandoned ruins of great civilizations past, you play as Rei, a Voidrunner determined to stop at nothing to save her planet from falling prey to the Ultravoid’s path of eternal hunger.  
Fight through mobs of grotesque creatures, grind rails with sheer delight, grapple to wild heights, take down enormous bosses, and surf the ashen clouds of shattered, bygone worlds swallowed by the void.  
In this highly stylized action adventure unlike no other, will Rei persevere and make her way through the deadly encounters of this ravenous void in order to save her home? Will she learn the truth about these massive beasts that roam this strange land and uncover the mysteries of the Starseed and Echo?  
The answer to these questions, and more, awaits you in the Ultravoid.

Release date: 8 Dec, 2022

Categories: Action-adventure, Open-World Exploration, 3D Platformer, Speedrunning, Movement-based Combat, Boss Rush


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Stunning Visuals & Art Style (weight 0.99): The game receives widespread acclaim for its beautiful, unique, and highly stylized graphics and art direction. Reviewers frequently describe the visuals as breathtaking, gorgeous, and wallpaper-worthy, contributing significantly to the overall atmosphere and player immersion.
- Exceptional Movement & Gameplay (weight 0.93): Players consistently praise the game's incredibly fluid, smooth, and satisfying movement system, including skating, grappling, and boosting. This core mechanic is highlighted as a major source of enjoyment and a key strength, making exploration and platforming highly engaging.
- Compelling & Emotional Story (weight 0.91): The narrative is consistently praised for being thought-provoking, engaging, and emotionally impactful, particularly its exploration of themes like grief, loss, and hope. The story's progression and powerful ending left many players deeply reflective.
- Epic Boss Battles (weight 0.87): The boss fights are a standout feature, described as engaging, unique, and exhilarating. Many reviewers draw comparisons to 'Shadow of the Colossus' due to the massive scale and inventive mechanics, making these encounters memorable highlights.
- Excellent Soundtrack & Voice Acting (weight 0.8): The game's soundtrack is highly regarded for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance key moments, often compared favorably to 'Hyper Light Drifter'. Additionally, the voice acting is consistently praised as very good to top-notch, adding depth to characters and lore.
- Immersive World & Exploration (weight 0.76): The game's world design is lauded for being visually stunning, unique, and engaging to explore. Players enjoyed discovering secrets and appreciated the creative world-building, which fostered a sense of awe and mystery.
- Concise & Focused Experience (weight 0.71): Reviewers appreciate the game's focused design and perfect length, noting that it doesn't overstay its welcome. The experience is described as short, sweet, and well-paced, allowing for deep engagement without feeling bloated.
- Charming & Interesting Characters (weight 0.68): The characters are highlighted for their charm, unique designs, and interesting backstories. Players enjoyed interacting with them and felt a connection, finding them to be a great addition to the game's world and narrative.
- Balanced Difficulty Options (weight 0.65): The game offers a decent difficulty curve, with options like Hardcore mode providing a serious challenge for those seeking it. This flexibility ensures that the game can be enjoyed by a wide range of players without being overly stressful or too easy.

Common complaints:
- Repetitive and Shallow Gameplay (weight 0.62): Many players found the core gameplay loop, including movement, combat, and level design, to be monotonous and lacking depth. This led to boredom and a feeling of unfulfilled potential, especially towards the end of the game.
- High Price for Short Content (weight 0.56): A significant number of reviews highlighted that the game's price point ($40 USD) was too high for its relatively short playtime (5-10 hours) and perceived lack of content or replayability. This made many feel it was not worth the investment.
- Poor Camera and UI Issues (weight 0.3): Several players experienced issues with the camera, especially during boss fights, where it could be problematic, janky, or disorienting. UI guidance was also noted as a shortcoming in these critical moments.
- Performance and Optimization Issues (weight 0.22): Players reported significant performance problems, including low frame rates and hitches, even on high-end PCs and especially on the Steam Deck. This indicates a lack of optimization that negatively impacted gameplay.

Gameplay feedback:
- Short Playtime & High Replayability (weight 0.28): The game is relatively short, with a typical playthrough lasting 5-10 hours, even for 100% completion. Its movement-focused design and challenging aspects make it highly replayable, particularly for speedrunning and mastering its mechanics.
- Minimal Skill Progression (weight 0.24): Players start with all core abilities, and there are no significant upgrades or skill progression throughout the game. This keeps the mechanics simple and consistent, focusing on player mastery of the initial moveset rather than character growth.
- Linear Progression & World Design (weight 0.1): The game features a semi-linear progression through 6 distinct 'planet fragments' within an open world. Each area follows a similar cycle: explore, clear points of interest, and then defeat a boss to unlock the next region, with level design becoming progressively more complex.

Performance notes:
- No shader compilation stutter (weight 0.05): Several players explicitly noted that the game does not suffer from shader compilation stutter, a common issue in many modern titles. This was confirmed by frametime graph analysis.
- Technically impressive world (weight 0.02): The game is considered technically impressive, featuring a single, gigantic map without any loading screens. This contributes to a seamless player experience.

Recommendations:
- Good for specific player types (weight 0.36): The game is recommended for fans of 3D platformers, fast-paced movement, exploration, and action-adventure games. It's also suggested for those who enjoy unique art styles or games like 'The Pathless' and 'Hyper Light Drifter'.
- Recommend on sale, not full price (weight 0.32): Many players highly recommend the game, but almost exclusively when it's on sale, often suggesting a 40-60% discount. They feel the full price is not justified by the game's depth or length, despite its enjoyable qualities.
- Not for high challenge seekers (weight 0.25): Some feedback indicates the game is not suitable for players seeking a significant challenge, suggesting they look elsewhere if that's their primary desire. It's also noted that the game might be good for those new to gaming.
- Explore and enjoy thoroughly (weight 0.02): Players recommend taking time to enjoy the game, exploring areas thoroughly, and unlocking all suits and Voidrunner caches. This suggests there's value in deeper engagement beyond a quick playthrough.
- Consistent gameplay experience (weight 0.01): A specific point highlights that if players don't enjoy the first zone, they should refund the game, as the experience does not change significantly thereafter. This suggests a consistent, but potentially repetitive, gameplay loop.
- Sarcastic negative review (weight 0.01): One review uses sarcasm to express dissatisfaction, comparing the game to 'No Man's Sky's computer-chosen color schemes' and 'Getting Over It'. This is likely a review bomb attempt or highly subjective negative feedback.

Other player notes:
- Comparisons to Hyper Light Drifter (weight 0.1): Many players, especially fans of Heart Machine's previous title, Hyper Light Drifter, draw strong comparisons in terms of themes, visual style, music, and narrative. While some appreciate the similarities, others expected a different experience, highlighting the developer's distinct style.
- Personal Player Experiences (weight 0.04): Some reviews include highly personal reflections, such as playing the game during a difficult life period, returning it for personal reasons, or having specific preferences like Steam backgrounds. While not directly about gameplay, these show the game's emotional impact on individuals.
- Mixed Reception on Uniqueness (weight 0.03): Some players view Solar Ash as a unique experience that stands out from generic games, recommending it to others. However, it's also acknowledged that the game might not appeal to everyone, suggesting a niche appeal.
- Limited NPC Interaction (weight 0.01): Players noted the game's reliance on dialogue and text, and some wished for more interactive dialogues with NPCs to deepen the world-building and character engagement.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.31): Players felt satisfied due to the game's overall high quality, including its compelling story, beautiful visuals, and excellent soundtrack. The smooth, fluid movement mechanics and engaging boss fights were frequently highlighted as major contributors to a rewarding experience, often leading players to recommend or even repurchase the game.
- Disappointment (weight 0.12): Disappointment stemmed primarily from the game's perceived short length and high price point, leading to feelings of insufficient content or replayability. Players also expressed disappointment with the story's execution, shallow combat, and a general lack of depth or novelty compared to expectations, especially when compared to its predecessor.
- Frustration (weight 0.09): Frustration was largely caused by difficult or 'floaty' controls, particularly during boss fights and in hardcore mode, leading to frequent deaths and a lack of reward. Other sources included an uncooperative camera, repetitive design, performance issues (especially on certain devices), and unclear UI or mechanics that hindered momentum.
- Excitement (weight 0.09): Players experienced excitement from the game's joyous and fluid movement, which made exploration and combat thrilling. The fantastic visuals, epic boss fights, and compelling story also contributed to a sense of awe and a strong desire to fully complete or even speedrun the game.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.09): Enjoyment was derived from the game's fun and engaging gameplay loop, particularly the platforming and unique rollerblading/skating mechanics. Players appreciated the captivating story, stunning worlds, and overall smooth experience, often finding the game became even more fun after an initial learning curve.
- Joy (weight 0.04): Joy was expressed through happiness with the purchase and the overall delightful experience, often comparing it to beloved platformers. The fluid movement, beautiful music and art, engaging story, and the feeling of freedom while surfing on clouds contributed to a sense of pure fun and a belief that the game was a 'gem'.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Players appreciated the game's stylish graphics, distinct designs, and compelling themes, along with its immaculate atmosphere and beautiful story resolution. The high-quality music, interesting side quests, and overall polish contributed to a sense of gratitude for the game's artistic and narrative efforts.
- Awe (weight 0.03): Awe was inspired by the game's breathtaking world, stunning visuals, and unique gameplay elements, particularly the mesmerizing boss fights. The captivating narrative, lore-building, and overall stylistic design created an eerie, ethereal, and unforgettable experience that left a lasting impression.
- Boredom (weight 0.02): Boredom arose from repetitive gameplay, a lack of variety in mechanics, and an uninteresting or sparse open world. Players found the dialogue in the latter half of the story to be drawn-out, and the overall experience failed to be consistently riveting, leading to a feeling that the game was 'kinda boring'.
- Love (weight 0.02): Players expressed deep love for the game, often stating they loved 'every second' or 'with every cell in my body.' This intense affection stemmed from the overall game experience, emotional connection to the story and characters, and appreciation for the gameplay, soundtrack, and visuals, even despite minor flaws.
- Admiration (weight 0.02): Admiration was directed towards the game's beauty, unique art style, and the developers' evident passion. Players praised the stylized visuals, wonderful soundtrack, excellent overall presentation, and brilliant narrative collaboration, often considering the game a 'piece of art' or close to perfect.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance was caused by inconsistent translation, the main character's frequent and sometimes heavy-handed quips, and unnecessary dialogue that explicitly pointed out clues. Other sources included the health system, boss instakills, and combat mechanics that felt irritating.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Players felt engaged by the captivating narrative, fast-paced gameplay, and combat flow, which made them not want to put the game down. The game's ability to encourage exploration, prompt deep thoughts about life, and hook players from start to finish contributed to a strong sense of investment.
- Desire (weight 0.01): Desire was expressed for more content, such as weapon upgrades, challenge levels, or DLC, indicating players wanted the experience to continue. There was also a strong wish for others to try the game and a longing to re-experience it for the first time.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arose from the game's obscure or unclear plot and story, making it difficult for some players to follow. There was also confusion regarding unclear tutorial mechanisms and why the game received such high ratings despite perceived flaws.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Hope was primarily tied to the desire for future content, such as DLC, to expand the game's experience. Players also expressed hope for the hopeful ending message and for the next game from the developer (Hyper Light Breaker) to be even better.
- Emotional (weight 0.01): The game's story had a profound emotional impact on players, leading to crying and deep introspection. The ending, in particular, was noted for bringing reviewers to tears and making them question various aspects of life.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness was felt when the game ended, as players no longer wished to stop dashing around and exploring its world. The fate of the character Ray and the dark yet beautiful story, enhanced by voice acting, also evoked feelings of melancholy.
- Value-consciousness (weight 0.01): Players expressed value-consciousness regarding the game's price point in relation to its perceived length and amount of content. Concerns were raised about whether the cost was justified by the playtime offered.
- Anticipation (weight 0.01): Anticipation was felt for playing the game, especially in preparation for the release of Hyper Light Breaker. There was also a general sense of excitement for future games from the developer, Heart Machine.}